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Panels turn to the super sub

Players on the bench are just as important as the starting XV

B
efore the 2008 All-Ireland final, Mickey Harte was gambling. Along with selecting the McMahon brothers in the full-back line, Brian McGuigan was another huge call. After battling back from a broken leg and a serious eye-injury, Harte didn’t feel that McGuigan had enough stamina behind him. Harte also felt that Martin Penrose’s mobility could cause problems for Kerry centre-back Aidan O’Mahony. Especially with O’Mahony bracing himself to mark McGuigan.

On the Thursday night beforehand, Harte arranged for captain Brian Dooher to bring McGuigan and Ciaran Gourley in to an adjoining dressingroom to break the news that they would not be starting. Harte also gave McGuigan a guarantee that they would need him for the final 20 minutes. “I thought it worked out well,” says McGuigan. “Mickey knew that it was going to be tight and that he needed someone to slow the game and hold on to the ball in